Smoke rises in central Tehran on Saturday, February 28, 2026. Israel and the United States announced they were attacking Iran. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz described it as a “preemptive strike.” File Photo by Abedin Taherkenareh/EPA
The United States and Israel on Saturday launched a major attacked on Iran, as U.S. President Donald Trump announced “major combat operations” were underway.
Explosions were reported in Tehran, according to the official Islamic Republic News Agency. It also reported explosions in Isfahan, Qom, Karaj and Kermanshah. An Israel Defense Forces spokesman said “dozens of military sites” were attacked in the joint offensive.
Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz confirmed in a statement that Israel’s military carried out what it called a “preemptive strike against the Islamic Republic” with the mission to “eliminate threats against the country of Israel.”
Iran has launched missiles toward Israel, where alerts were activated, according to the IDF.
“At this hour, the Air Force is operating to intercept and strike in any location where it is required to remove that threat,” the IDF said.
Trump announced that the United States was involved in the attack. In an eight-minute video posted to his Truth Social media account, Trump called on members of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and military to lay down their arms or “face certain death.”
To the Iranian people, he instructed them to seize their government following the strikes.
“To the great proud people of Iran, I say your hour of freedom is at hand,” he said.
“When we are finished, take over your government. It will be yours to take. This will probably be your only chance for generations.”
Trump said the mission was in defense of the American people to eliminate “imminent threats” emanating from Iran. He warned that American troops may be killed in the process.
“The lives of courageous American heroes may be lost and we may have casualties,” he said.
The extent of the attacks and what had been targeted was not immediately clear, but Trump vowed to “raze” Iran’s missile industry, “annihilate” its Navy and the United States would ensure that its proxies throughout the Middle East “can no longer destabilize the region or the world.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel, in a statement of his own, described Operation Roaring Lion as a joint operation between the United States and Israel.
“A short while ago, Israel and the United States embarked on an operation to remove the existential threat posed by the terrorist regime in Iran,” he said.
“Our joint action will create the conditions for the brave Iranian people to take their destiny into their own hands.
“The time has come for all segments of the people in Iran — Persians, the Kurds, the Azeris, the Balochi and the Ahwazis — to rid themselves of the yoke of tyranny and bring about a free and peace-seeking Iran.”
The attack follows months of escalating tensions between the United States and Iran, as Trump has sought to secure a deal that would deny it from securing a nuclear weapon.
Amid the talks, Trump expanded the United States’ military presence in the Middle East and threatened military action if a deal was not made.
The strikes come after the United States and Iran held indirect negotiations in Geneva on Thursday. Officials from mediator Oman and Iran left the talks stating there were signs of progress and plans for future negotiations.
This is a developing story.
